


Through Ash and Ember

by Trialia



Category: Doctor Who (2005)
Genre: Angst, Community: spoiler_song, Episode: s06e13 The Wedding of River Song, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-10-12
Updated: 2011-10-12
Packaged: 2017-10-24 13:34:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 435
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/264042
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Trialia/pseuds/Trialia
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p><em>They live out their lives in a disintegrating world, loving but never touching.</em> (Spoilers for <em>The Wedding of River Song</em>.)</p>
            </blockquote>





	Through Ash and Ember

**Author's Note:**

> Beta-read by [coffeesuperhero](http://archiveofourown.org/users/coffeesuperhero). Title courtesy of [Seanan McGuire](http://seanan-mcguire.livejournal.com) ( _Archaeology of Tragedy_ , ironically enough). Fic from a prompt by [winninghearts](http://winninghearts.livejournal.com), for the [spoiler_song](http://spoiler-song.livejournal.com) _Hell in Heels_ ficathon.

He never knew someone could love him enough to sacrifice the universe for him.

 _It's spreading._

She's desperate to keep him alive. She doesn't care if the whole world falls apart around them, because that's what would happen for her anyway, if she killed him.

 _Don't touch me._

He's tried to change her mind. He can't. He can't kill himself, because that won't fix this.

 _River, please._

She loves him more than anything. More than her own life, which is disintegrating with the universe, but her love is still here. Still alive.

 _So close and so far away._

He can only beg her to do what she must. He's afraid to die, but he doesn't know any other way. He's beginning to wonder if the damage is already done.

 _I can't let you die._

She can't even touch him. It's all she can stand to be in the same room with him and keep her hands to herself all that time, but she can't love him any less, and she can't face his death either. There has to be a way.

 _River, please._

He's got to work this out. There must be some other way to right this, to make the fixed point happen and the world come back together without destroying her.

 _Help me._

She knows she's being selfish, but she'd rather die herself than lose him, and in this broken world even that wouldn't fix anything.

 _Marry me._

He can't touch her, but he will still ask everything of her. She won't refuse him anything - except for his death.

 _I'm scared._

She'll find a way out of this that doesn't involve killing him. Someone in the universe must know something. She'll go to the end of the universe and back if it means she can find a way to keep him alive. Out of the universe completely if she has to. Loath though she is to leave him.

 _Me, too._

He never knew loving without losing someone could hurt so much.

 _Let me go._

She doesn't know that her future has already happened. That she's destined to be both his wife and his killer. She hasn't seen it, but he has.

 _I can't._

He has no more lies left. He can't let her wreck time for him. He's not worth that. She will live on, after; he's seen it.

 _River, you'll see me again. This won't be over for you. Please._

She has tears in her eyes, ready to spill over. She's never looked more beautiful.

 _My love..._

He marries her.

 _I love you._

She kills him.

 _I love you._

Rule one.

 

 _-fin_


End file.
